Cardio workouts are often the first type of exercise beginners resort to when they start a fat loss program, expecially those that have never been involved in a weight lifting or resistance training program.
While there are many benefits to your general health and athletic performance of doing regular cardio workouts, they are NOT the major contributor to fat loss, and this is why:
A cardio workout (for most people) will burn a few hundred calories during a session. Of course, high level athletes will perform aerobic workouts at an intensity of even up to 1500 calories per hour, but if you workout recreationally, you will be doing well to burn approx 600-700 in a session. And this is not a huge amount.
Also, the metabolic effect of cardio workouts is fairly temporary. This means that you will experience a raised metabolism, but only for a period of time.
In contrast, weights and resistance training helps you build muscle mass, and every pound of muscle you carry burns calories, even while you are not exercising.
A statistic from maximumfitness.com tells that between the age of 20 and 70 people lose up to a quarter of their muscle mass. Thats HUGE.
The only way to maintain, and to increase that calorie burning engine of muscle mass, is to use resistance training.
Thats not to say that cardio workouts don't have a place in a healthy workout program, when it comes to improving your aerobic performance.
Cardio workouts, can help your fat loss efforts, especially when you exercise first thing in the morning, and on an empty stomach, as it ensures that you actually burnt body fat, rather than the food you've eaten throughout the day.
To sign up for a free report from THE fat loss guru, Tom Venuto -> fat loss report.
I'll also be reviewing different cardio workouts and their effectiveness over the next few posts.
Technorati tags:fitness,weight loss,exercise,diet,workouts,health
Tuesday, 2 January 2007
Sunday, 31 December 2006
Staying Motivated in the New Year
I presume a whole bunch of you will be listing a few New Year's resolutions, and some of them might involve getting into shape, loseing the flab, or sticking to your training routines for once.
There are a number of simple things you can do to help stay the course with any programme.
While this is aimed at beginners, sticking with changes in our diet and workouts is something tha affects all of us at some point.
1. Avoid getting bored
You might have the will to do your training, but ANY routine that you do day in day out can get boring. You are far more likely to actually do your workout if you enjoy it and are challenged by it.
Add some variety, if you spend all your time in the gym, get outdoors every once in a while.
Use the treadmill all the time? Change your cardio machine, or heaven forbid, try a jog.
Play a sport, soccer, basketball, touch rugby, whatever it is, inject some fun into it.
2. Don't let ambition get in the way of consistency
You might pen down a workout programme, and it may well be very good and very challenging. BUT if it will result in overtraining after a period of time, or it is too ambitious for you, there's a chance you might start missing sessions and taking a rest
Set a realistic programme, even if its just 3 times a week, and then confidently rest in between.
If you have a loosely structured programme, that involves working out when you can, then even if you are busy and dont have time, just do something, even 20 minutes.
It will be far more useful to train consistenly in the long run, than to have a stop/start approach to working out
3. Get a training partner
You are far more likely to get out of bed and turn up for a workout if there is someone there you've commited your time to.
4. Keep a training diary
People often get pretty low when they've hit a plateau, and feel like their whole programme isn't working. Referring to a diary can help you gain some perspective on your achievment to date, and show you how your training is progressing.
5. Make small incremental changes in your diet
I'm sure most of us could put together an near ideal menu plan for the next month, but the chances of sticking to it are slim, as its a huge shock to your current habits.
Make a small change to your diet: cut some carbs, add a vegetable to your recipe, add another protein portion to your favourite meal.
These are things that you CAN do, and are likely to do in the long term, and this simple fact will be a better improvement to your diet, than an "ideal" diet for 2 weeks.
6. Get some sleep
Recovery is often underrated in performance training and weight loss training. Getting anough sleep will help you recover better, and will make your training more effective. Proper rest is also likely to improve your mood, and make it easier to look forward to training sessions.
Wishing you all the best in the New Year,
James.
p.s. Hope you all have a great party tonight, and for gods sake don't deny yourself some enjoyment, just because you have a training and diet programme.
You can sign up for a free fat burning report by my favourite workout expert
Technorati tags:fitness,weight loss,exercise,diet,workouts,health
There are a number of simple things you can do to help stay the course with any programme.
While this is aimed at beginners, sticking with changes in our diet and workouts is something tha affects all of us at some point.
1. Avoid getting bored
You might have the will to do your training, but ANY routine that you do day in day out can get boring. You are far more likely to actually do your workout if you enjoy it and are challenged by it.
Add some variety, if you spend all your time in the gym, get outdoors every once in a while.
Use the treadmill all the time? Change your cardio machine, or heaven forbid, try a jog.
Play a sport, soccer, basketball, touch rugby, whatever it is, inject some fun into it.
2. Don't let ambition get in the way of consistency
You might pen down a workout programme, and it may well be very good and very challenging. BUT if it will result in overtraining after a period of time, or it is too ambitious for you, there's a chance you might start missing sessions and taking a rest
Set a realistic programme, even if its just 3 times a week, and then confidently rest in between.
If you have a loosely structured programme, that involves working out when you can, then even if you are busy and dont have time, just do something, even 20 minutes.
It will be far more useful to train consistenly in the long run, than to have a stop/start approach to working out
3. Get a training partner
You are far more likely to get out of bed and turn up for a workout if there is someone there you've commited your time to.
4. Keep a training diary
People often get pretty low when they've hit a plateau, and feel like their whole programme isn't working. Referring to a diary can help you gain some perspective on your achievment to date, and show you how your training is progressing.
5. Make small incremental changes in your diet
I'm sure most of us could put together an near ideal menu plan for the next month, but the chances of sticking to it are slim, as its a huge shock to your current habits.
Make a small change to your diet: cut some carbs, add a vegetable to your recipe, add another protein portion to your favourite meal.
These are things that you CAN do, and are likely to do in the long term, and this simple fact will be a better improvement to your diet, than an "ideal" diet for 2 weeks.
6. Get some sleep
Recovery is often underrated in performance training and weight loss training. Getting anough sleep will help you recover better, and will make your training more effective. Proper rest is also likely to improve your mood, and make it easier to look forward to training sessions.
Wishing you all the best in the New Year,
James.
p.s. Hope you all have a great party tonight, and for gods sake don't deny yourself some enjoyment, just because you have a training and diet programme.
You can sign up for a free fat burning report by my favourite workout expert
Technorati tags:fitness,weight loss,exercise,diet,workouts,health
Friday, 29 December 2006
Ab workouts: It's Crunchtime for your abs - Abs Part 5
Having focussed on lower abs, and some core stability related ab exercises, I feel its time to get to the good ol crunches.
The traditional ab crunch is the one exercise that most people do when working out their abs, but its the one that most people do badly.
In this post I've outlined a couple of my favourite crunches and how to do them right
The reverse crunch
This exercise feels like a lower ab exercise but in fact it does target the rectuc abdominis which is a farily long muscle and I do feel its a pretty comprehensive crunch.
Preparation:
Lie on your back on a floormat and place your head on the floor, arms beside you. (You can lift your head and palce your hands behind your neck to support it, but I'd recommend starting with your head on the floor until you have proper control over your crunch movement). Bend your knees until they are at 90 degrees to your torso.
The exercise:
Contract your abs, and lift your knees upward and curl your hips. Maintain control as you release back to the set position
Reps:
Start with 3-4 sets of 10, building up to 4 sets of 15. If you are really good at this you can add ankle weights.
Tips:
Its tempting to cheat on this one, and use the swinging momentum of your legs to get the movement. The idea with this (and any other) exercise is to place maximum stress on the muscle, so don't cheat yourself, but use the abs to get the movement. A good way of thinking about it is to try and push the lumbar area of your back, into the floor, to achieve the hip curl.
The exercise ball crunch
This is more like the "regular" crunch exercise, but the ball helps isolate your abs and ensure you're not overworking your hip flexors and your lower back.
Preparation:
Sit on the ball and roll down till the middle of your back is on the floor. Place your hands behind your back and keep your knees bent at around 90 degrees.
The exercise:
Crunch your abs and curl your ribcage off the ball while pressing the rib cage into your hips. Release back to the set position with control.
Reps:
Build up to doing 4 sets of 15-20(max) reps
Tips:
The ball should be still while you are doing the exercise to avoid bouncing up and down or rolling the ball. As always with the ball, the movement comes from the abs, so a solid core will prevent the ball from moving around.
These two crunches should give your abs a good blast, when incorporated into the rest your routine.
Happy crunching.
For a selection of general workout information try these free workout routines
You can sign up for a free fat burning report by my favourite workout expert
Technorati tags:fitness,weight loss,exercise,diet,workouts,health
The traditional ab crunch is the one exercise that most people do when working out their abs, but its the one that most people do badly.
In this post I've outlined a couple of my favourite crunches and how to do them right
The reverse crunch
This exercise feels like a lower ab exercise but in fact it does target the rectuc abdominis which is a farily long muscle and I do feel its a pretty comprehensive crunch.
Preparation:
Lie on your back on a floormat and place your head on the floor, arms beside you. (You can lift your head and palce your hands behind your neck to support it, but I'd recommend starting with your head on the floor until you have proper control over your crunch movement). Bend your knees until they are at 90 degrees to your torso.
The exercise:
Contract your abs, and lift your knees upward and curl your hips. Maintain control as you release back to the set position
Reps:
Start with 3-4 sets of 10, building up to 4 sets of 15. If you are really good at this you can add ankle weights.
Tips:
Its tempting to cheat on this one, and use the swinging momentum of your legs to get the movement. The idea with this (and any other) exercise is to place maximum stress on the muscle, so don't cheat yourself, but use the abs to get the movement. A good way of thinking about it is to try and push the lumbar area of your back, into the floor, to achieve the hip curl.
The exercise ball crunch
This is more like the "regular" crunch exercise, but the ball helps isolate your abs and ensure you're not overworking your hip flexors and your lower back.
Preparation:
Sit on the ball and roll down till the middle of your back is on the floor. Place your hands behind your back and keep your knees bent at around 90 degrees.
The exercise:
Crunch your abs and curl your ribcage off the ball while pressing the rib cage into your hips. Release back to the set position with control.
Reps:
Build up to doing 4 sets of 15-20(max) reps
Tips:
The ball should be still while you are doing the exercise to avoid bouncing up and down or rolling the ball. As always with the ball, the movement comes from the abs, so a solid core will prevent the ball from moving around.
These two crunches should give your abs a good blast, when incorporated into the rest your routine.
Happy crunching.
For a selection of general workout information try these free workout routines
You can sign up for a free fat burning report by my favourite workout expert
Technorati tags:fitness,weight loss,exercise,diet,workouts,health
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